


"You summoned a ghost, now you have to listen to what I have to say."

by ImperialParagons



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: AU where Susan becomes Captain, Babylon 5 Spoilers, Gen, Season 5 Episode 8: Dead of the Dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-18 09:33:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18247136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperialParagons/pseuds/ImperialParagons
Summary: Mild AU where Susan becomes Captain of Babylon 5 after Sheridan becomes Alliance President. This follows her discussing the events of the Day of the Dead with the rest of the Command Staff. It picks up at the end of the episode and takes place during the gap between episodes 8 and 9.





	1. "I'll make sure to apply the principles of the Alliance when finding a religion that lets me throw ambassadors out of airlocks!

"Captain what do you think happened last night? Did you have any of these ghostly encounters?" President Sheridan attracted attention wherever he went, and more than one head turned towards him as he shouted over the murmur of whispered alien voices. A half dozen Brakiri glanced over at him and smiled, before their ambassador cast a disapproving glance in their direction and did his best to disperse the crowd of his people who had gathered to discuss what had happened. 

Glancing over at the crowd, Susan lowered her voice as to not be overheard, "Yes--" 

"So, would you like to tell me about it?"

"No." The word hung in the air for a second, as Sheridan blinked in surprise at the intensity in that refusal before Captain Ivanova continued perfunctorily. "I'll have a full report on your desk by Oh-Six-hundred tonight. As I wrote in my report from yesterday, I sold the Brakiri ambassador a section of the station for the night for a religious ceremony. A mistake I won't make again."

"Susan--" Sheridan's tone switched to the slightly mollifying voice he always got right before launching in a lecture about anything to do with The Alliance.

"--Yes. Religious tolerance. Principles of the Alliance. I'll make sure to apply that to finding a religion that let's me throw ambassadors out of airlocks when they pull stunts like this in the future." Her voice rose just enough that the Brakiri ambassador winced, although before he could approach to explain, Ambassador Mollari swept through and grasped his hand in an overly vigorous handshake.

Even from a distance down the corridor everybody could hear, "Yes, yes, The Day of the Dead is a marvelous tradition! Is there any way we could do this on Centauri Prime--" 

Susan and the Captain continued walking through the hallway, checking to make sure that everybody was emerging from their rooms. She nodded at Garibaldi as they passed, and waved him over. It took Garibaldi no time at all to read the situation and start up a conversation to pull President Sheridan away. "I wonder who Londo saw last night to be in such a good mood this morning? I think the whole station can hear him fawning over the Brakiri ambassador. Last I heard he wanted to see the First Emperor, have a little heart to heart about genocide." 

Sheridan laughed, and turned towards Michael. "Ah, you heard his excitement even from this far away did you? I've never seen him get this excited about anything outside of a winning hard of cards! But, enough about Londo. Who did you see last night Michael? I'd have liked to have arranged quarters in the zone if I'd known--" Garibaldi nodded sympathetically at Susan as she kept walking down the corridor, launching into a very dramatic retelling of how a beautiful woman had just appeared in his shower and making sure to stand in just a way to keep John from continuing down the hallway after her.

President Sheridan sometimes wanted to be Captain Sheridan again, and while he'd been getting better about it, it wasn't his job to make sure everybody on the station was safe any more. It was hers. Well, hers and the rest of the Earth Force staff that ran the station. It was tough having The Alliance headquartered on the station, and even though Sheridan wasn't Captain of Babylon Five anymore, it could feel like most of the Alien ambassadors still defaulted to acting like he was.


	2. "I have learned today, never eat eggs while angry."

Checking all the rooms took the better part of the morning, and all the while the regular paperwork continued to pile up. Rebo and Zooty were scheduled to leave that afternoon and the press would expect a formal vanguard to escort them to their ship; there was a small hull breach in grey sector caused by one of the micro fragments of starship debris that still needed to be cleaned up; four people had filed complaints citing emotional trauma; and it wasn't even Oh-Ten-Hundred and there had already been four fights in the Zokolo. Running the station was utterly exhausting. 

Sitting down for the first time in hours Susan poked at re-hydrated eggs and synthetic bacon, absentmindedly eating while contemplating if there really was a religion that would have let her throw an ambassador out an airlock. "Captain! May I join you?" G'kar looked questioningly at the seat next to her, and Susan sighed internally before nodding towards him.

"You were right, I shouldn't have done it," Susan said in between bites of very chewy synthmeat. 

"Oh no! Captain, I was the one in the wrong!" G'kar had the uncanny ability to be so earnest about things, although today of all days she could have done with out his shouting and gesticulating. "It seems as if everybody who was in Brakiri territory learned something. I only wonder who I might have seen had I not been so close minded." His blue eye wandered pensively toward her plate, "Now, please enlighten me! What did _you_ learn Captain?"

Susan continued silently eating. Maybe the Drazi had a cult that believed in ritual sacrifice? The Minbari Warrior caste absolutely had a ritual for throwing people out of airlocks. Although actually getting permission to preform said ritual... Marcus would have known how-- 

Undeterred by her silence, G'kar leaned forward and continued to pester her interrupting her train of thought. "You simply must tell me! You have the look of somebody who has learned a great deal in a short period of time."

It truly was impossible to get rid of G'kar when he was in search of enlightenment, and Susan gave in with an audible sigh. "Yes, I did learn something last night. That I should consider practicing a religion that allows me to throw people who annoy me out an airlock." Her voice rose to almost a shout before Susan caught herself and clenched her jaw to stop herself from continuing to threaten the former ambassador.

G'kar sputtered. "It was only an innocent question Captain! I thought you might have seen Marcus."

"No, I didn't." Susan stood and looked at the still seated G'kar, her voice surprisingly level. "If I _had_ seen him, I'd have had some choice words for him." She stabbed her fork extra hard into her rubbery fake eggs and they splattered across the table.

G'kar laughed attempted to wipe a fleck of egg from his face, only to have it partially stick to his hands stretching like taffy as he tried to shake it off. Susan reached over with a napkin to help, only to have the napkin fall apart and the clump of egg goo turn into a glue-y mess. G'kar laughed harder, and Susan felt herself laughing along side him as she fruitlessly dabbed at the gloop with a napkin. 

"I'm glad you find this, this, _diplomatic incident_ funny Captain!" There was a mischievous gleam in G'kar's real eye as he spoke, and Susan knew he wasn't being serious. That and the fact that he was trying to mask his grin behind a faux outraged face. "I demand you tell me what you learned as proper penitence!"

Susan put on her best impression of a deep thinking face, "I have learned today, to never eat eggs while angry." G'kar laughed again, wide smile on his face as he wagged his finger at her.

"Fair enough Captain. I appreciate your wisdom, and your advice about 'eggs'" He grabbed her plate, and the pile of egg covered napkins, cheerfully doing her the small kindness of cleaning up the mess. He was so different from the Narn she'd first met four years ago. "I only ask that if you change your mind and wish to tell me what you _really_ learned that you remember me." 

He swept away, leaving her with out further pestering, but before he could get entirely out of ear shot she called after him. "I will."

"Thank you my friend."


End file.
